PAPA AND GRANNY

Charlie Augusta and Alice Anmesure Thorn Mayes

MAYES DIRECT DESCENDENTS in AMERICA

GENERATION 1

William MAYES was born 1675 in Ireland; d. 1751 at Lunenburg, Lunenburg, Virginia; m. 1695 in Ireland Anne UNKNOWN; b. abt. 1675 in Ireland.  William and Anne had 2 children.  William had 4 additional children by wife #3 Elizabeth GARDINER.  It appears that William and Anne, along with one child came to America between 1698-1700.

GENERATION 2


James MAYES was the eldest child of William and Anne MAYES.  James was born 1698 in Ireland; d. 11 September 1756 at Ft. Dinwiddie, Augusta, Virginia; m. 1720 in Virginia to Ester Elizabeth HAMLIN, b. 1704 at Lunenburg, Lunenburg, Virginia; d. 21 August 1756 in Virginia.  James and Elizabeth had 10 children.

GENERATION 3

Joseph MAYES was the 3^rd child and 2^nd son of James and Ester Elizabeth (HAMLIN) MAYES.  Joseph was born 1722 in Virginia; d. 25 July 1786 in Augusta County, Virginia; m. 2 June 1750 to Rebecca LEWIS, b. 22 February 1723/24 in Augusta Co., Virginia; d. 1820 in Augusta Co., Virginia.  Joseph and Rebecca had 6 children.

GENERATION 4

Isaac MAYES was the youngest child of Joseph and Rebecca (LEWIS) MAYES.  Isaac was born 1765 in Augusta Co., Virginia; d. 1849 at Mason, Fairfax, Virginia.  Isaac appears to have been married several times and fathered a number of children.

GENERATION 5

Isaac MAYES, Jr. was the eldest child of Isaac MAYES and undetermined Mother (documentation is inconclusive).  Isaac was born 1785 in North Carolina; d. Maury Co., Tennessee; m. 20 September 1810 in Maury Co., Tennessee to Ruthy EDWARDS, b. 1790 in Tennessee; d. after 1832.  Isaac and Ruthy had 4 children.


GENERATION 6

Isaac Wesley MAYES was the third child and son of Isaac and Ruthy (EDWARDS) MAYES.  Isaac Wesley was born in 1818 in Maury Co., Tennessee; d. Unknown; m. 14 April 1848 in Jackson County, Missouri to Permelia Margaret WEBB, b. 1828 in Missouri; d. 17 July 1868 in St. Clair County, Missouri.  Isaac and Permelia had 5 children.

GENERATION 7
Isaac Preston MAYES was the 2^nd child and eldest son of Isaac Wesley
and Permelia Margaret (WEBB) MAYES.  Isaac Preston was born in 1855 in Missouri; d. about 1900 in Cross Plains, Callahan, Texas; m. 8 August 1886 at Sheridan, Yamhill, Oregon to Augusta J. RICHTER, b. 1856 in Indiana; d. 6 May 1887 at Sheridan, Yamhill, Oregon.  Isaac Preston and Augusta had 1 child.  Isaac had another son by a subsequent marriage.

GENERATION 8

Charlie Augusta MAYES was the only child of Isaac Preston and Augusta J. (RICHTER) MAYES.  Charlie was born 6 May 1887 at Sheridan, Yamhill, Oregon; d. 16 May 1960 at Haskell, Haskell, Texas; m. 5 January 1908 at Baird, Callahan, Texas to Alice Anmesure THORN, b. 21 February 1887 at Waco, McLennan, Texas; d. 21 August 1978 at Haskell, Haskell, Texas.  Charlie and Alice had 2 children.

GENERATION 9

Willie Augusta MAYES was the second child of Charlie Augusta and Alice Anmesure (THORN) MAYES.  Willie was born 3 October 1918 at Odell, Wilbarger, Texas; d. 25 May 2004 at Dallas, Dallas, Texas; m. 9 December 1939 in Rising Star, Eastland, Texas to Clyde Finley BISHOP, b. 29 October 1915 at Golden, Wood, Texas; d. 24 November 1999 at Brownwood, Brown, Texas.  Willie and Clyde had 4 children.

GENERATION 10

YaYas BISHOP are the children of Clyde Finley and Willie Augusta (MAYES) BISHOP

GENERATION 11

YaYa’s Children

GENERATION 12

YaYa's Grandchilden

CHARLIE AUGUSTA MAYES

Charlie Augusta MAYES was my maternal grandfather and was lovingly referred to by his daughters and grandchildren as “Papa”.  This story documents the early life of a very interesting man. 

Charlie Augusta MAYES was born May 6, 1887 at Sheridan, Yamhill, Oregon to Isaac Preston MAYES and Augusta RICHTER.  Isaac was born in Missouri in 1855 and migrated to Oregon with family, possibly an uncle.  Augusta was born in 1856 in Indiana and came with her parents, Charles Christian and Catherine Christine (ERNEST) RICHTER to Oregon. Isaac and Augusta married on August 8, 1886 at Sheridan, Yamhill, Oregon.  Augusta died a year later giving birth to Charlie, apparently the same day.

About a year later, Isaac married Lydia who also died as a result of the birth of another son, Ecil Lydia MAYES on March 24, 1889 in Sheridan, Yamhill, Oregon.

Shortly after his second wife’s death, Isaac was diagnosed with a terminal illness (possibly diabetes or cancer).  He was in a dilemma as to how best secure the future of his sons.  My Richter great grandparents, Christian and Catherine Richter  were enthusiastically willing to take and raise Charlie.  However, Ecil was not their grandchild and would not be taken.  Since I have no knowledge of Ecil’s mother or her family, I do not know how they felt or if any family existed.  It did not matter.  Isaac did not want the boys split up; he wanted them raised together as brothers.  The Richters were determined to have Charlie since they had been able to be near him to this point.  He apparently spent a great deal of time with his mother’s family.  At the risk of the boys being separated, Isaac sold his material goods and left Oregon with his sons under the cover of night.  They took the train from Oregon to Texas. 

Isaac’s oldest sister, Zenilda Issabelle and her husband, William ORR had migrated from Missouri with the ORR family some years earlier.  They had settled in the Cross Plains community of Callahan County, Texas and had begun farming.  It was to this family and area that Isaac chose to bring his sons.  He bought land, farm animals, implements, wagons and horses for both sons.  Aunt Belle and Uncle Bill were to raise the boys and care for their farms until they were old enough to take over their own care and finances.  They also promised Isaac that they would never allow Charlie’s grandparents to know where he was or have contact with him even though he was told of them.  Isaac Preston MAYES died about 1900 in Cross Plain, Callahan, Texas.

In 1908, Charlie was an extremely eligible bachelor and he convinced Alice Anmesure THORN of Cross Plains to marry him.  She convinced him to contact his family in Oregon.  With Granny Alice’s assistance Papa Charlie began trying to contact the Richters in Oregon.  It was about 1911 that his letters finally reached his mother’s younger brother, John Ernest RICHTER, who was the Postmaster and Sheriff of Polk County, Oregon (Polk Co. had been split from Yamhill at some point).  An excited Uncle John quickly responded to Papa’s letters.  Charlie learned how his grandmother Richter had mourned the lose of her “Little Charlie” and had attempted to send him letters, cards and gifts.  In the beginning many of them were returned.  Later, there was no response at all.  The Richters did not know if he had arrived in Texas or if Charlie had lived to adulthood.  When Papa’s Richter grandfather died, the family had Charlie declared died in order to dispose of property which had his name attached to it.  Papa learned from Uncle John that his Richter grandmother had just died the year before in 1910.  John Richter was able to share with Papa photographs of his mother and grandparents and some memories before he passed in 1929.  I have the letters that John wrote to my grandparents and they are heartrending, loving and precious.  One of my sisters has Augusta’s autograph book and it is beautiful to read.  It is my opinion that this contact with his Richter family had to have meant a great deal in helping form the man Papa became and there will be more stories later on that man…suesue